Chatham Charge Worship Service February 7, 2021
We come together as a community of faith to praise and worship our Father Almighty, He is the one that calls us to worship. His Holy Spirit is calling us now. He welcomes us into His house to spend time together in fellowship with him and with one another.
Call to Worship: Psalm 147: 7 – 11 #860
L: Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving,
P: Make melody upon the lyre to our God.
L: Who covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow upon the hills.
P: The Lord gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
L: The Lord takes no delight in the might of a horse nor pleasure in the strength of a runner.
P: But the Lord takes pleasure in the faithful, in those who hope in the Lord’s steadfast love.
Opening Prayer:
Holy One, with our ancestors and all the people of God, we gather to sing your praises. You are the one who has created the cosmos and the ants. You give food to whales and sparrows, name the stars, and count the hairs on our heads.
Compassionate One, we offer you our thanksgiving for your many blessings. Powerful One, inspire us this day: to turn our praise into action, to share your good news with those who long to hear a word of hope, to proclaim your message of peace and justice throughout the world. We praise you! Amen.
*Hymn: God of Love and God of Power #578, V 1, 3, 4
- God of love and God of power, grant us in this burning hour grace to ask these gifts of thee, daring hearts and spirits free. God of love and God of power, thou hast called us for this hour.
- All our lives belong to thee, thou our final loyalty; slaves are we whene’er we share that devotion anywhere. God of love and God of power, thou hast called us for this hour.
- God of love and God of power, make us worthy of this hour; offering lives if it’s thy will, keeping free our spirits still. God of love and God of power, thou hast called us for this hour.
First Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:16 – 23
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
The Lord’s Prayer
Gloria Patri: UMH 70
Prayer:
Before we turn to the Word of the Lord, let us turn to the Lord of the Word in prayer. Heavenly Father we ask that you send your Holy Spirit to come dwell with us at this time in order that he might open our ears to a new meaning of your Word, open our minds to a new understanding of your works, and open our hearts to greater love for you. Be with us Spirit, be our guide and our companion on this spiritual journey to a greater understanding of the God of this Word. Amen
Message Lesson: Mark 1:29 – 39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons
The Words of God for the People of God!
The Message
Serve Them All
Mark 1:29 – 39
Friends last week we listened to the Apostle Mark as he started to tell his version of the gospel which is unlike either of the other three. In the Book of Mark, the gospel is an action story with a hero, and that hero comes with the authority given to him by his Father, the Creator of the Universe.
Jesus is that hero in the action story that Mark weaves. He comes in, surveys the challenges and the evil characters, he finds the lost and lonely, he takes divinely powerful actions to defeat the enemies and to rescue and redeem the victims. Mark is, you see, working to instill into seekers and believers, the sense of awesome power and authority that Jesus will wield throughout his life and his ministry.
Today, we rush from the first exorcism done by Jesus in the text from last week, to the first healing that Jesus performs during his three-year ministry. After the exorcism in the synagogue, Simon Peter invites the three other new Disciples and Jesus, to his home, ostensibly to figure out what might be next for this new mission team. You see Peter’s home will be something of a “base of operations” for Jesus and the Disciples when they are in and around Capernaum.
As they arrive there, we immediately come to understand that Peter’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever. We have no more information about her condition other than this but clearly Peter thinks it serious enough to bring to Jesus’ attention. But the nature of the illness is not important, the power of this healer is! Immediately after Jesus is told of her illness, He goes to her!
It isn’t a long and involved healing, in the NIV version of the Gospel it takes all of 16 words to heal her. From Daniel Akin, here is what happens:
- they tell Him she is sick,
- He goes to her,
- He takes her by the hand,
- He helps her stand up,
- the fever leaves her
- and she serves them and the One who served her.
Just like last week with the demon spirit, there are no spells, no incantations or rituals. It is with divine authority, compassion and a personal touch that Jesus restores Peter’s ailing mother-in-law to full health. Instantly! Mark’s readers are beginning to see through his writing, that Jesus came to heal the diseased, the sick, the lame, the possessed. Jesus came to Serve Them all.
But this story isn’t just about Jesus and his healing powers. It is also a lesson for us about we should react to the blessings that we receive from God. You see Peter’s mother didn’t just thank Jesus him for the cure, but the scripture says, she in turn Serves Them.
What did she do? We don’t know but what she did isn’t particularly important. Who did she serve? She served everyone, she Served Them all.
You see, when we are blessed, the result of that blessing should spill out on all those around us. We shouldn’t just bask in the healing, in the blessing, but instead we should share the gift to everyone around us. Let’s be clear she wasn’t paying a debt. She wasn’t earning that gift. She was responding to the blessing and her response to the healing service was to serve other people.
So was the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law important? In grand scheme of things probably not. We don’t see her again in the Gospel. But it certainly was for her and the people there.
Was the exorcism in the synagogue important? It certainly was for the man and for those that witnessed the event. You see in just a few short hours, this unknown character from Galilee amazes everyone at the temple with his authority over the scriptures and his command and control of a demon. Then he instantly cures a woman of an unknown illness. People are starting to talk, and the fame of Jesus is spreading like a wildfire.
Later that same day, after the Sabbath has officially ended with sundown, people begin to show up at Peter’s home. They come from everywhere. Our lesson tells us that “The whole city was gathered at the door”, “They brought to him all the sick and the demon possessed” and Jesus “healed the many who had various diseases and he drove out many demons.”
Mark suggests that the healings and the exorcisms continued into the night. The first two events had opened the floodgates, and the needy people rushed to the home to find this healer. Jesus worked long into the night, healing all who came. He Served Them. He Served Them All!
Then, early in the morning, after all had been served, all had been cared for, Jesus slipped away; to pray, to breathe, to reconnect with the source of his strength. He took the time he needed. He kept his priorities, even in the face of the demands on him that continued. Jesus goes off to pray for the knowledge of whom to serve and how to serve them. He was gone long enough to cause concern, so they went looking for him.
“Everyone is searching for you” the disciples told him when they found him. Everyone, they say, the crowd, the hungry, needy, demanding crowd is searching for you. Why did he leave?
It doesn’t feel right, to leave behind those who had come to him, those who were hurting. But he decides to move on, he has served all those that were brought to him. He has healed and taught them. His mission and ministry have just started, and as the divine Son of God, he knows that he has much more ground to cover and he has a limited amount of time.
The new Disciples, certainly Peter, may have preferred to stay where they were, in a place that was familiar, with people that they already knew. Yet, Jesus says, “I have to go to those who haven’t yet heard; I have to continue to move out, go further, speak to more and to Serve Them also.”
Jesus is simply following his mission, in fact the truth of that is found elsewhere in Mark, in 10:45, “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Dear ones, in the incarnation and the sending of His Son, the Lord Jesus, God answers our needs. God serves us through Jesus, He heals us through Jesus, He ministers to us, He even sacrifices Himself for us.
Daniel Akin tells us that “Mark’s point in our lesson today is to watch the servant serve and serve like him! God cares about our problems and challenges in this fallen sin sick, sin infested world. God knows we hurt and suffer, which is a constant reminder of our finite, mortal humanity. God wants us to know He has done something to remedy our near hopeless condition by sending Jesus”.
“Like the diseased and the demonized we should run to Him and Him alone. And, like Peter’s mother-in-law, having been touched and healed by His compassionate hand, we should be quick to serve Him and serve others out of grateful gratitude for such a wonderful Savior and such a marvelous salvation”.
Hear the Good News my Friends………..
The Good News is that we who have become Believers in Jesus Christ, who have chosen to follow him in His ministry, are also called to participate the world’s healing along with Him. We who carry the name of Jesus before us, must, like him, carry it out there, to those who haven’t yet heard֫, to those who don’t yet know him.
We are making disciples, even as we are being made disciples. That is our service. Like Simon’s mother-in-law, we don’t just serve him; we serve them. All of them. Any of them. We serve them.
Derek Weber tells us – We must make a commitment to serve. Because we have been healed in so many ways, because we have been claimed and loved and accepted in ways that surprise us even still, we must commit to serve in the name of the one who loves like that.
Peter’s mother-in-law doesn’t have any lines in this gospel drama, but her testimony is strong. As soon as she got to her feet, her first action was to serve. As soon as she came to herself, she didn’t think of herself. She set herself aside in order to Serve Them.
At the heart of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, is a life of service. There is nothing really controversial about that. For many people, a commitment to “follow Jesus” might not seem compelling enough to move them out of the pew or their comfort zone. But a call to service, to engage in a specific act, at a specific time benefiting specific people is the of call we all should hear and to which we must respond. To find ways within our being, like Peter’s mother-in-law, to rise up in our healing and begin to Serve Them, Serve Them All. Amen.
Hymn: Take Time to Be Holy #395, v. 1, 2, 4
- Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; abide in him always, and feed on his word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.
- Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be; thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.
- Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul, each thought and each motive beneath his control. Thus led by his spirit to fountains of love, thou soon shalt be fitted for service above
The Lord’s Supper UMC #13
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.
On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.
Amen.
Behold the body of Christ, which was broken for you. Take and eat.
Behold the blood of Christ, which was shed for you. Take and drink.
Dear ones, you have been offered the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, you have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and you have received the Redeeming and Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your transgressions. Brothers and Sisters, you are forgiven.
Amen.
Prayers of the People
Pastoral Prayer:
Hymn: Jesus is All the World to Me #469, v. 1, 3, 4
- Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all; he is my strength from day to day, without him I would fall. When I am sad, to him I go, no other one can cheer me so; when I am sad, he makes me glad, he’s my friend.
- Jesus is all the world to me, and true to him I’ll be; O how could I this friend deny, when he’s so true to me? Following him I know I’m right, he watches o’er me day and night; following him by day and night, he’s my friend.
- Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend; I trust him now, I’ll trust him when life’s fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life with such a friend, beautiful life that has no end; eternal life, eternal joy, he’s my friend.
Benediction
Renewed by the power of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness; strengthened by the witness of Jesus to be of service to others, we go from this place rejoicing in the opportunities to serve others in Christ’s name. Go in peace and may be peace of God always dwell within you. AMEN.
